Newman says Cowboys lack intensity in practice

ARLINGTON – The Cowboys are at odds over how to turn their season around after a disappointing 0-2 start.

Cornerback Terence Newman things the players on Monday should have “a little team meeting to get some things off our chest.”

Newman said his biggest beef is the team’s lack of intensity at practice.

“It’s not our coaches,” Newman said after Sunday’s 27-20 loss to Chicago. “They don’t really know some of the things that were going on. But as players, we have to crack down and make sure that some of the stuff that has been going on, doesn’t go on. We have to make it a game situation in practice. That’s just what it is. We go hard in practice, but maybe our intensity needs to go up a little bit. We got to do that as players and not worry about the coaches.”

Defensive end Marcus Spears, however, scoffed at the notion the players aren’t intense during practice.

“I don’t see that,” Spears said when told Newman’s comments. “I don’t want to departmentalize, this group, this defense. But withint our defensive line group, we work every day. If T-New feels like that, I’m pretty sure he is speaking on behalf of something he sees. We don’t have a bunch of guys who shy away from telling it like it is. If he does see something that we need to do, or if we are lacking in intensity, he needs to point that out to us so we can get it fixed. But that d-line group I’m in, that room I’m in, we go to work every day. I can’t agree with that comment from my perspective.”

So would a players-only meeting help matters?

“Oh, man,” Spears said. “Push the easy button, push the panic button and say these guys need to come together and talk. That’s not the issue, man. We’ve got to play better. You can talk about this until you are blue in the face. And you can keep talking and keep talking and end up 0-16. And all you’ve done all year is have a bunch of team meetings. We need to meet on the practice field and meet on Sunday and win games. That’s the cure-all for everything when it comes to this game.”